


"Simple Man."

by Blue_Nox



Series: Lady May [1]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blackwater was a sham, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Maybe - Freeform, Original Character(s), arthur just needs a hug, he's a few years older than john, i don't know if i'll write more of them or not, it was interesting to write, let's just throw caution out the window, should i keep this going, some details are not the same, the shit that pops into my head, this man really loves his horses, younger Arthur then in the game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24889228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Nox/pseuds/Blue_Nox
Summary: She blew into camp like a tornado and the next thing that I knew, I was wrapped around one of those pretty little fingers.Sometimes, things happen too fast. Too fast for your mind to register them at the time. Arthur, Hosea and May had been talking about the bank job one minute and speeding their horses through the streets of Blackwater the neck. Silver Dollar making his way through the streets, Arthur behind him and May bringing up the back. Bullets whizzing by their heads and their own raining behind them. Tight corners; Pinkertons at every junction. It all went wrong too quickly. It didn’t make sense.
Relationships: Arthur Morgan/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Lady May [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800985
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	"Simple Man."

**Author's Note:**

> For whatever reason, this popped into my head and it had to be written.   
> All the mistakes are my own.   
> Sorry if it seems rushed or doesn't make sense. Yes, there is a large gap between Owanjila and Blackwater.  
> I may explore her a little more. I don't know yet.

“You okay?” 

It wasn’t the first time that she’d been bucked from a horse, it damn sure wasn’t gonna be the last. It was the concern in his voice that gave her pause for a moment, the dust settling around her and the ache in her back letting her know she wasn’t dead. That’s when she heard him laughing. “Something funny?” The young lady in question rose her head, squinting against the sun. He was leaning against one of the trees, arms crossed against his chest and his hat shadows his eyes but there was a smile across his lips. “First you are concerned and then you laugh at me.” 

“Well, I reckon you're alright.” 

“It’s been awhile since I was bucked by a horse,” her voice was soft as she rose, hands dusting off her riding jeans roughly. To say that she had a crush on him was an understatement. May had indeed seen sparks the moment that Arthur Morgan had saved her, got made fun of a little for trailing him like a lost pup and even got a talk from Hosea about it. She was just a few years older than John, a better shot by a mile. Arthur had taken her under his wing just a few days after she had joined. 

“I reckon, just my pride is hurt is all.” 

“Well, I ain’t gonna tell nobody.” 

The red chestnut Arabian had been one hell of a catch. Three days of tracing, the mare was skittish as hell. The pair had been camped out at Lake Owanjila for a few days. That’s when she’d spotted the mare and begged Arthur to stop, reluctantly doing so in his normal grumpy bear fashion. Now, she stood just feet from them; stomping her foot in the wet earth seemingly annoyed with the whole situation. May wasn’t going to leave until she’d broke her but even she wasn’t dumb enough to know it’d be over night. 

“They got too much fight in them to start,” his draw was low as he spoke. “It took Dutch months to earn The Counts trust now look at ‘em.” The campfire crackled as he sat down on his bedroll, rolling the stick that held their dinner; duck. Greasy as it was, it was helping keep their campfire going. “Get this crispy enough and it’ll be better than anything you can get in a saloon.” May perked a brow. 

“I don’t know. The one in Blackwater has the best chicken.” She chuckled a little and sat down beside him. She takes the hat off her head and sets it down, a long black ponytail cascades down her back. He isn’t looking but she can still somehow feel his eyes. The sun is finally going down, the air getting crisp with time. “What’s wrong, Arthur?” 

Arthur Morgan didn’t let himself get close to many people, considering the life that they led. He sniffed a little, greenish-blue eyes looking down before he reached into his satchel and gave her a rolled up letter. The perfume still lingered on it and it made May’s nose wrinkle a little. Mary Gillis. God, how she hated that woman. “I reckon she’s getting married.” May knew that Athur wasn’t the type to let things bother him unless it was something that directly affected him or someone close. Her and John to be specific. “I just kinda keep wondering where I went wrong. If there was something more I could have done without changin’ myself.” 

May listened to him speak as her eyes read over the letter he had handed her. In a way, she was thankful that she had earned Arthur’s trust. He is hard pressed not to let anyone that close to him but somehow she weasled her way in. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Morgan.” He looked toward her then, knowing that she was serious. “Maybe it’s a good thing. Something good always comes from something bad.” He shrugged a little. Arthur never felt that he was good enough for her, thanks to that rotten Father she had. 

“Well, when one door closes, another one opens.” 

“You’ve been spending too much time with Hosea.” 

May couldn’t help but chuckle at that, pushing him playfully at the shoulder before giving him back the letter. “One day, Arthur, you are going to find someone that is going to love you for who you are. That you are going to be everything they need and they ain’t gonna want to change you.” That made him smile a little. 

“Ain’t nobody wants a dirty outlaw.” 

“You’d be surprised. I’ve seen the way that Abigail looks at ya.” 

“Abigail looks at everyone that way but she’s only got eyes for Martson.”

“Well, I suppose that she could have worse tastes. She could have gone after Bill.” 

That thought made both of them shudder before Arthur started laughing and passed her the whiskey he’d open. Lord help her she knew better. Boadicea knickers softly behind them, causing Arthur to move from his bedroll. “I’m sorry, girl.” May can’t help but smile. She’d never seen a blue roan coated Thoroughbred until Arthur had rode her back to camp one night. He’d been gone for a few days and that horse was his reward, or at least that’s what he told everyone. May had later got it out of him; wild as a buck, tangled in some brush and it took him four days to break her. She happily takes the apple given to her and nuzzles against his chest as he brushes her neck. 

“So what you gonna name yours?” 

It snapped May out of her thoughts. She’d always had one of the horses the camp had, never really had the chance to get her own. Not that she never wanted too, she was always too busy to think about it. A small sip of whiskey and May wrinkled her nose, eyes catching Arthur looking at her. “Scarlett.” The name rolling from her lips, causing her to smile proudly. “She’s little but strong and full of fire.”

*

“Arthur! Come on! We gotta go!”

Sometimes, things happen too fast. Too fast for your mind to register them at the time. Arthur, Hosea and May had been talking about the bank job one minute and speeding their horses through the streets of Blackwater the neck. Silver Dollar making his way through the streets, Arthur behind him and May bringing up the back. Bullets whizzing by their heads and their own raining behind them. Tight corners; Pinkertons at every junction. It all went wrong too quickly. It didn’t make sense. 

“Arthur! Look out!” 

Fire. Nothing scares a horse more. Boadicea rears up in fear despite Arthur trying to calm her and then it’s slow motion. Several stray bullets hit her back legs and she falls to the cobblestone. “Hosea!” May watches in horror as Bosdicea falls, pinning Arthur’s leg under her. May can make out Hosea in the distance, coming back with Silver Dollar at a full gallop. She may be an older horse but she’s a marvelous creature. “No, no, no.” Scarlett stops just shy of being on top of Arthur and his fallen horse, almost as if she is trying to protect them. May has only seen Arthur’s face like that once before, back when she was still new to the gang. 

Hosea is providing them with cover fire as May helps lift the heavy horse the best she can but it’s enough that Arthur can wiggle his leg free. “No, no, no.” Almost silent whispers before she looks back behind them but even she knows to give them a moment. May understands; Arthur loves that horse. It’s one of the only things in this world that is truly his.

A soft hand on his shoulder, his head jerks up and he growls before he sees who it is. “We gotta go,” her voice is shaking, she’s trying to stop the tears from her eyes. 

“I’m sorry, my girl.” May closes her eyes as the shot rings out from his revolver. “Thank you,” she doesn’t miss the whisper. 

“Come on, girl.” Reins are snapped, spurs are dug in and the wind is once again in her hair. Hosea is out in front, there’s a set of arms so tight around her waist she can’t breathe but doesn’t complain about it. Before they can catch up to Hosea, one of her hands makes it to one that is still clinging to her for dear life. Gently giving some comfort where she can and she can feel Arthur’s fingers twitch, feels a hot shuddered breath on her neck and spurs the small horse on until the finally catch up with the rest of the gang. 

So much for Blackwater. 

“Five minutes!” It’s spoken with so much emotion as Arthur hops from Scarlett’s back. It’s full of anger and pain. It hurts her somewhat. Everyone is scattering and trying to pack as much as possible when Dutch finally rides in, Micah hot on his trail. 

“Where are the boys?!” She can’t help but yell with all the chaos. 

“They’re coming,” it’s Javier who answers her and May looks around for Arthur. To say that she is worried about him is an understatement. The girls are running around in a panic and some of the men are as well. The wagons are slowly starting to move out when she finally sees him saddling up a Saddler. Very slowly, leading Scarlett over to him and the mare can’t help but nudge his back. 

“I’m okay.” May can tell it’s a lie from his voice. Scarlett just sniffs around his hat before he reaches into his pocket and feeds her a sugar cube. “Promise, I’m okay.” Arthur is a lot like her, he doesn’t have much. He’s most prized possessions were his horse and the journals that he wrote in. He hangs his head to hide under the shadow of his hat, hiding red rimmed eyes and gives a hard sniffle. “We gotta go. Are the rest of the boys back?” 

“Yes, Arthur.” Her voice is filled with sympathy but she knows he won’t talk to her yet. They have to get everyone to safety. 

It’s three days before they stop. Three days of hard riding and pushes the wagons as hard as they will go. John was shot, Charles burnt his hand, Sean missing, Jenny dead, Mac captured or dead, Davey shot and dying. There’s a little stream where they stop, a little clearing where they can rest. They all know they shouldn’t stop but they must. Wounds need to be taken care of, people needing to eat and rest for a minute. Nothing gets unpacked, but everyone is thankful for Hosea for talking Dutch into it. 

She finds him away from the camp, the borrowed Saddler hitched to a tree. May knows that Arthur would never mistreat a horse but his heart just isn’t in it to get close to this buckskin gelding. He’s a million miles away but still knows she’s there. Cowboys don’t cry, they don’t show emotions and are written to be tough as nails. They shrug off gunshots and broken hearts, bury their sorrows in the bottle of a bottle. He’s just standing there, watching the sun breech over the horizon and doesn’t flinch when he feels her arms gently wrap around him. Breathes in softly when he feels her forehead against his shoulders. “It’s okay.”

“My Lady May,” she hears the crack in his voice, she feels his hand cover his eyes. May has loved Arthur for so long but the lines have never been blurred. Little does she know that he loves her too. Emotions and feeling buried in the depths of pages that she will never know about. No, cowboys aren’t supposed to cry but they aren’t made of stone either.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always welcome. ^_^


End file.
